Hamaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Yitro Volume VIII/Number 17 (352) 17 Shevat 5754/January 29, 1994 In this parasha, we read of the giving of the Torah. Commenting on the verse (Sh'mot 1:14), "They embittered their lives with hard work," etc., the Zohar suggests that Avraham's prophecy that his descendants would be subjugated for 400 years could have been fulfilled by the Jews subjugating themselves to the study of Torah (in the form which Torah existed then). Our ancestors' experience of slavery in Egypt was "unnecessary." Says R' Avigdor Nebenzal, shlita: We see that this is true from the experience of the Levi'im. They were not enslaved in Egypt, yet like their cousins, they merited to settle in Eretz Yisrael, in fulfillment of Avraham's vision. Why? Because they spent the exile in Egypt studying the Torah. It is true, notes R' Nebenzal, that the portion which the Levi'im received in Eretz Yisrael was different from that of the other tribes; the Levi'im received no land, only a spiritual inheritance. This is because their exile in Egypt was merely spiritual. It involved no physical suffering. To a certain extent, the other tribes experienced that spiritual exile as well. Chazal say that, for a time, Moshe convinced Pharaoh to let the Jews rest on Shabbat. What did they do on that day? They studied prophecies regarding their redemption, i.e., they studied Torah. One seventh of their subjugation then was spiritual; in exchange, one seventh of their inheritance in Eretz Yisrael was a spiritual rather than material gift--the gift of shemittah. (Sichot l'Sefer Sh'mot p.31) ************************************ "They traveled from Refidim...and Yisrael camped opposite the mountain." (19:2) Based on the fact that the word 'camped' is singular in number, Chazal say that the Jews arrived at Har Sinai united as one. How did this come about? R' Mordechai Shulman zt'zl explains that it was the result of traveling from Refidim. That was where the Jews had been attacked by Amalek, as punishment for loosening their grip on Torah. They learned there that if some Jews are lax in Torah, the whole nation suffers. In turn, they recognized the concept of "Arevut" - mutual responsibility for one another-and this united them. (quoted in Legacy of Slabodka) ************************************ "Remember the day of Shabbat to sanctify it. Six days you shall work..." (20:8) Why didn't the Torah use the shorter expression, "Remember to sanctify the day of Shabbat"? Also, why does the Torah mention that we work six days a week? Surely we are not commanded to do so! R' Eliezer haLevi Horowitz of Tarnograd writes that unlike most commandments, which apply constantly and should thus be easy to remember, Shabbat is readily "forgotten" because most days are not Shabbat. (For a similar reason, notes R' Eliezer, Chazal took great precautions so that we should not eat Chametz on Pesach. Otherwise, we would forget.) How can we ensure that we will never transgress the laws of Shabbat, even inadvertently. "Sanctify it." Sanctify what? Both ourselves and the six days of work. When all of our deeds are based on principles of holiness, we will be protected from inadvertent transgression of the laws of Shabbat. (Noam Megadim v'Kavod haTorah) ************************************ Why is taking G-d's Name in vain the only sin which the Torah says can never be forgiven? Because, says R' Meir of Premishian, the details of any sin which is recorded in Hashem's books can be erased when the sinner repents. It is, however, prohibited to erase Hashem's Name, so the sin always remains in the book. (Divrei Meir) ************************************ The Gemara (end of Tractate Nidah) teaches: Whoever reviews Halachot every day is guaranteed a place in the World to Come, as it is written (Chabakuk 3:6), "Halichot olam lo" (Literally: "His ways are everlasting"). This phrase can be read, "One who has Halachot (a 'pun' on 'Halichot') the world is his." R' Elazar M. Shach, shlita, notes that when one reads the full context of the verse excerpted above, the thought becomes more than just a pun. The prophet says, "He stood and He measured the earth, He saw and He drove asunder nations... His ways are everlasting." The phrase "He stood and He measured the earth" is an allusion to the times when man's sins become so great that Hashem must deal with mankind measure for measure. At those times, He destroys nations or scatters them to the winds, He uproots mountains, and He brings about other catastrophes. How can man make it through these periods? The one who follows Hashem's everlasting ways, i.e. the one who studies and abides by Halachah, he is the one who is guaranteed a place in the World to Come. In such a time of turmoil, everlasting Halachah is just the steadying influence which is needed. (b'Zot Ani Vote'ach p.8) ************************************ In this parasha, we learn of the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai. However, not much detail is given regrading how much of the Torah was said at that time and place. In Parashat beHar we read that the laws of shemittah were taught at Har Sinai. Rashi writes: What does shemittah have to do with Mount Sinai? All of the commandments were given at Har Sinai! This verse teaches that just as every detail of the laws of shemittah was taught at Har Sinai, so every detail of every law was taught at Har Sinai [even though it may not be recorded in the Torah until later.] In other words, shemittah is used as a "binyan av," i.e., an example from which we can learn that just as it is true in this case that the laws were taught at Har Sinai, so it is true in all cases. Why of all commandments was shemittah chosen to be this example? Har Sinai was the place where the physical and spiritual worlds meet. The Gemara (Sukkah 5a) says that there is a level below which G-d will not descend, and there is a level above which man cannot ascend, and Har Sinai is in the middle. Also, Har Sinai is the place where the spiritual blueprint for man's physical life was taught to the Jewish people. Similarly, says R' Chaim Yishayahu Hadari, shlita in Shabbat uMo'ed baShevi'it, shemittah is the time when, more than other times, the spiritual and the physical meet. During shemittah, man is freed from his material concerns as his needs are miraculously taken care of. Through the freedom which man has during the shemittah, man can rise above mundane matters into the spiritual realms. ************************************ What does it mean that Hashem never descends below a certain level? This appears to place physical limits on Hashem and also to contradict our knowledge that Hashem fills the whole world! R' Zvi Hirsch Chayes ("Maharitz Chayes") explains in his commentary on Sukkah 5b that this is an allusion to Chazal's teaching, "Everything is in Hashem's hands except for fear of Hashem." Hashem controls all of our affairs, but He does not determine whether we will fear Him. That is one area of human endeavor to which Hashem does not "descend." ************************************ R' YEHOSHUA ROKEACH (The Belzer Rebbe) born 5585 (1825) - died Shevat 5654 (1894) One Hundred Years Since His Passing R' Yehoshua, the youngest son of R' Shalom of Belz, was the second "Belzer Rebbe." R' Yehoshua was the first chassidic rebbe to engage in politics; his Machzikei haDas ("Holders of the Faith") party elected R' Shimon Sofer of Cracow (son of the Chatam Sofer) to the Austrian parliament in 1879. The primary purpose of Machzikei haDas was to fight the Reform and Haskalah movements, and, in this, R' Yehoshua worked closely with other chassidic and non-chassidic leaders. R' Yehoshua continued his father's work of building a shul in Belz. What was unusual about his project was the Belzer Rebbes' intentions that the shul never be finished. Rather, each Jew who passed through Belz would add a brick to this shul, which Mashiach will, it is said, eventually transplant to Eretz Yisrael. (For the time being, an exact replica has been constructed in Yerushalayim, and it houses the Belzer institutions in the Holy City.) Many miraculous stories are told of travelers and merchants who were saved from washed-out bridges and other hazards of the road because they tarried in Belz to add a part to the shul. At the time of R' Yehoshua's death, many cities in Galicia had large Jewish populations, and even Jewish majorities. A large number of these individuals counted themselves among the chassidim of Belz. R' Yehoshua's influence reached into Hungary as well. R' Shalom of Belz, sometimes referred to as "Sar Shalom," notes that the Torah tells that Yitro heard of Hashem's miracles and that Yitro arrived at Bnei Yisrael's camp, but it never says that he left his house. Sometimes, says R' Shalom, a person experiences a spiritual awakening so urgent that it must be acted upon immediately, lest it be lost. In such cases, there is no time to plan the details of leaving home. Just go! (D'vash haSadeh) ************************************ The learning schedule for this Shabbat is: Challah 4:7-8 Kitzur 162:14-163:4 Kiddushin 56 Yerushalmi -- Shabbat 28 ************************************ The hard copy distribution of this weeks Hamaayan is sponsored by: Irving and Arlene Katz on the Yahrzeits of Henia Rachel bat Pinchas, A"H Fradel bat Yaakov Shalom A"H Chaim Eliezer ben Avigdor Moshe haKohen zt'zl and The Marwick family in memory of Reba Sklaroff A"H ************************************ DONATIONS TO HAMAAYAN ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE